Folding chair



y 1934- s. WILLIAMS 1,957,417

FOLDING CHAIR Filed March 25, 1953 IN VENTOR.

BYOZZIMJ Patented May 1, 1934 FOLDING CHAIR Lewis S. Williams, Oronoko Township, Berrien Qounty, Mich, assignor to Emmanuel Missionary College, Berrien Springs, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application March 25, 1933, Serial No. 662,643

2 Claims.

This invention relates to folding chairs of that type comprising crossed hinged legs supporting a flexible seat preferably formed of fabric, and a hinged back which is adapted to be folded down against the legs.

The object of the invention is to provide a strong and desirable folding chair which is of simple and inexpensive construction and in which 7 the upwardly rearwardly extending legs are provided with abutments adapted to engage with the back to prevent spreading of the chair when in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a folding chair with crossed hinged legs, and a back and arm rests so designed and proportioned that the chair may be folded into a compact structure whereby a plurality of chairs can be stored one on top of the other, or the chair can be conveniently boxed and shipped.

In the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folding embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Heretofore various designs and types of folding chairs have been on the market but so far as I am aware, all of these chairs which could be folded into a compact relation of parts did not provide any means to prevent the undue spreadchair ing of the crossed legs when the chair was unfolded to operative position.

I have provided a folding chair which can be folded with all the advantages of the chairs heretofore produced, and have also provided means which will prevent the crossed hinged legs from spreading when the chair is in use, and I have provided a chair which is as rigid and stable when subjected to several hundred pounds of weight as when used by a child.

Referring to the drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, the legs 1 and 2 are crossed and hinged together at 3 in any suitable manner. Extending between the legs 1 is a cross member 4 positioned adjacent to the lower ends thereof, and

similarly extending between the legs 1 is a second cross member 5 positioned adjacent to the upper ends thereof.

Adjacent to the upwardly forwardly extending 5O ends of the legs 2 is a cross member 6 which forms a brace for the legs and also forms a support for the front end of the seat 7 which may be formed of a piece of canvas or other suitable material which may be tacked or otherwise secured at its front end to the cross member 6.

The back comprises a pair of side members 8 jointed together by cross slats 9 which are preferably covered with a canvas back piece 10. The back side members 8 are preferably hinged at 11 to the upwardly rearwardly extending parts of the legs 1. A cross member 12 also extends between the back side members 3, which cross memher also forms a support for the seat 7 attached thereto in any suitable manner and an abutment for the rearwardly extending legs 1. The side arm rests 13 extend between the legs and the back side members 8, the same being pivotally secured to their forward ends 14 to the legs 2 with their rearward ends to the back side members 8 as at 15. The arm rests 13 may also be provided with fiat arm rest portions 16, if desired.

The rearwardly upwardly extending parts of the legs 1 are preferably provided with flat faces 17 which abut against the cross member 12 when the chair is in unfolded or operative position. Thus, it will be seen that as the back side members are hinged at 11 to the legs 1 and the back is connected to the legs 2 by means of the side arms 13 that when the abutment faces 1'? of the legs 1 rest against the cross member 12, the legs 1 and 2 are prevented from spreading beyond a pre determined limit thus preventing the chair from collapsing or even to sag a sufficient amount to change the angle of the back from its predetermined position. Even though the canvas seat 7 may stretch or sag into the position shown in dotted lines, the relative position between the crossed hinged legs and the back will not change so that the chair will always maintain its correct position and relation of parts irrespective of the loads to which the chair may be subjected.

Reasonable equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and intention of my invention, and the scope of the same is to be limited only by the sub-joined claims.

What I claim is:

l. A folding chair comprising, two pairs of crossed hinged legs, a cross member extending between two of said legs, a back including a cross member hingedly supported adjacent to one end thereof by the other two of said legs, side arms pivotally connected with said first two legs and back, said second two legs having end faces formed to bear against said back cross member to prevent forward tilting of the back and to cooperate with said side arms to maintain said chair in a predetermined unfolded position, and a flexible seat supported by said cross members.

2. A folding chair comprising, two pairs of 110 wardly extending legs having end faces formed to bear against the front of said abutments which with said side arms maintain said chair in a predetermined unfolded position, and a flexible sea-t supported by said cross member and back.

LEWIS S. WILLIAMS. 

